Tag Archives: dzeko

Rodwell injury curse strikes again after Man City midfielder limps off at Villa Park

By
Alex Horlock

PUBLISHED:

20:37 GMT, 4 March 2013

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UPDATED:

20:58 GMT, 4 March 2013

Jack Rodwell suffered yet another setback in his injury-plagued Manchester City career after hobbling off the pitch at Villa Park this evening.

Little over 20 minutes into City's match against Paul Lambert's Aston Villa, Rodwell pulled up after letting fly with a powerful shot on Brad Guzan's goal.

The midfielder, who made his first start for City since September during their 2-0 win
over Chelsea last weekend, was tonight making his 11th appearance for the champions
this season, but was replaced by the club's top scorer Edin Dzeko
having limped off clutching his hamstring and holding his head in his hands.

Injury curse: Jack Rodwell was marking his 11th appearance for Manchester City since his summer arrival from Everton

The 21-year-old, who joined City in a
12million move from Everton last summer, spoke just last week about his
belief that he had put his injuries behind him.

The England international added that
he had harboured doubts about his ability to withstand the rigours of a
career in football having seen his short spell in the professional game marred
repeatedly by injury during his time on Merseyside and in Manchester.

Rodwell said ahead of City's clash against Chelsea: 'At Everton
last season I doubted whether I was built for it.

'To be honest, I did
think the worst but I had to take the positives and think I'm still
young and in a great position at one of the best teams in the world.

Blow: Rodwell was replaced by Edin Dzeko after suffering an apparent hamstring injury

'I had between five and 10 setbacks,
and that's not just from the original injury. It's mentally hard. There
are times when you're set back again and you don't know what to do.

'Before the last five or six weeks I
used to go into training and was never confident. I was just praying I
got through it and that's just not the way to be at all.'

Sandro believes Spurs can pip City and United to title despite being 13 points off the pace

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UPDATED:

11:28 GMT, 15 December 2012

Tottenham midfielder Sandro believes his side have a chance of winning the Premier League this season – despite having lost six of their 16 games so far.

The Brazil international’s team currently sit in fifth in the division and are already 13 points off the league leaders Manchester United.

But Sandro thinks that if they work hard enough and other teams slip up, Andre Villas-Boas’ side can prise the title away from either United or champions Manchester City.

Focused: Sandro thinks Spurs could win the Premier League

Spurs defeated United at Old Trafford earlier in the season, and were beaten by a late Edin Dzeko goal at City, but both sides still have to travel to White Hart Lane later in the season.

‘It’s very open,’ he told the Daily Mirror. ‘Every team has weaknesses. Every team loses. Manchester City have lost their unbeaten record, we’ve gone up to United and won there.’

He added: ‘Both Manchester teams can come to Tottenham and lose here. I’ll fight for the title while there is a possibility of winning. My ambition, every player’s ambition, is to live for success, for trophies.’

‘While we can still catch the teams above us we are going to play for the title. It’s an ambition, a dream. We just have to fight for it.’

After Dzeko and Hernandez ride to the rescue, Sportsmail hails the game's greatest super subs

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UPDATED:

12:23 GMT, 12 November 2012

Some relish it, others loathe it – but someone has to be it.

In this age of massive squads full of talent, the role of super sub has become all-important again – and the two Manchester sides are leading the way.

Javier Hernandez and Edin Dzeko showed once again this weekend just how important a reliable impact player can be as they came off the bench to win three points for their teams.

Reluctant: He may not like it, but Edin Dzeko has become a Super Sub after scoring from the bench again against Tottenham

Hernandez replaced a sub-par Ashley Young at half-time against Aston Villa and inspired a trademark United turnaround, scoring two goals and forcing another off the Villa captain Ron Vlaar.

Dzeko, meanwhile, as he has made a habit of doing this season, took off his tracksuit and laced up his boots to score an 88th-minute winner for Manchester City against Tottenham.

The Bosnian has now scored six of his seven goals this season from the bench, making him City’s top scorer despite having played a fraction of the game time of Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero.

He’s been one of the principal reasons why City, despite playing nowhere near their best, find themselves unbeaten, second and snapping at the heels of United.

On the opening afternoon, Dzeko’s goal dug City out of a hole against newly-promoted Southampton and he proved the match-winner at Fulham and West Brom, providing the tools to pick securely padlocked defences.

But Dzeko genuinely hates this new role. After scoring twice at The Hawthorns, he thundered: ‘I will never be a super-sub, I want to play.’

Me too: Javier Hernandez came on and scored two goals and forced an own goal as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 3-2

But why not Every team would take such a reliable bench-warmer and his penchant for scoring dramatic late goals can only endear him more to the fans.

What’s more, if he continues to top City’s goalscoring charts, then surely a starting place will eventually follow

/11/12/article-2231698-027E05890000044D-296_634x402.jpg” width=”634″ height=”402″ alt=”The original: David Fairclough (right) came on for Liverpool to score the decisive goal against St Etienne ” class=”blkBorder” />

The original: David Fairclough (right) came on for Liverpool to score the decisive goal against St Etienne

And the following year, he scored a goal of such magnitude that it guaranteed his place in the heart of every Liverpool fan.

Leading the formidable French side St Etienne 2-1 in a European Cup quarter-final but needing a late third to go through on aggregate, Fairclough found himself on the end of a long ball and through on goal.

With remarkable composure, he beat the goalkeeper and set-up a semi-final with FC Zurich and, ultimately, a win in the final over Borussia Monchengladbach – Liverpool’s first European Cup triumph.

VIDEO: DAVID FAIRCLOUGH IN ACTION AGAINST ST ETIENNE

But despite this, Fairclough was left on the bench for the final. As Bob Paisley later reflected, it was one of the toughest decisions of his managerial career: ‘I could have cried for David Fairclough, the hero against St Etienne, when I had to tell him that he wouldn’t even be getting stripped.’

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United 1996-2007)Long before Hernandez, Sir Alex Ferguson had another great super sub to call upon, the “Baby-faced assassin” Solskjaer.

Given the tag, it may surprise you that just 29 of the Norwegian’s 126 United goals came from the bench, but it was the importance of some of those goals that secures his place in this list.

His first goal for the club – in a 2-2 Old Trafford draw with Blackburn on August 25, 1996 – came from the bench and set the tone.

Another Fergie treasure: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scpred Manchester United's winning goal against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final

Like Fairclough, Solskjaer found his chances limited by a prolific first-choice partnership – Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke – but as the schedule became every more demanding during the Treble campaign of 1998-1999, Solskjaer carved himself a real niche as a player of devastating impact.

He pipped Yorke and Cole, who both had two each, with a stunning four goals in 15 minutes to sink Nottingham Forest 8-1. He scored in stoppage time to beat Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round, nine minutes after coming on.

And, unforgettably, he came on in the Champions League final with Bayern Munich to score a 93rd-minute winner.

VIDEO: SOLSKJAER BAGS FOUR AGAINST NOTTINGHAM FOREST

VIDEO: SOLSKJAER IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

Tore Andre Flo (Chelsea 1997-2000)Another Norwegian import, Tore Andre Flo may not have scored goal of the significance of Solskjaer, but he became a cult hero at Chelsea for his goals from the bench at around the same time.

A 300,000 signing, Flo was never likely to dislodge the likes of Mark Hughes, Gianfranco Zola and player-manager Gianluca Vialli from the forward line at Stamford Bridge. But the fans still appreciated his contribution of 50 goals, 13 of which came from the bench.

He contributed some important goals, including two in a 4-3 away comeback at Blackburn in 1998-1999 and a couple away from home against Real Betis in the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup in the same year.

LET US KNOW WHO WHO YOUR FAVOURITE SUPER SUB IS BY LEAVING A COMMENT BELOW

Edin Dzeko lived up to his super-sub billing by firing Manchester City to victory against Tottenham.

Dzeko struck three minutes from time to complete a defiant second-half comeback from the unbeaten Blues, who closed the gap on Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester United to two points.

It was the Bosnian's seventh goal of the season, six of which have come from the bench, after Sergio Aguero had cancelled out Steven Caulker's first-half header. It also extended City's unbeaten home Premier League record to an incredible 35, and their present unbeaten league run to 16, adding weight to manager Roberto Mancini's pre-match dismissal of any sense of crisis at the Etihad Stadium.

Edin in the right direction: Dzeko came off the bench to score the winner for City

Edin in the right direction: Dzeko came off the bench to score the winner for City

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Arriving at the ground, it was hard to escape the feeling of agitation at City, no matter what soothing words are spoken.

In his programme notes, Mancini
accentuated the positives. That long, unbeaten home run, a 10-game total
of 22 points exceeded only once by the Blues during the Premier League
era – last season – and the opportunity to equal the club's unbeaten
record in this particular competition.

“None of this evidence points to us being as badly out of form as some people would have the world believe,” the Italian said.

There is another view though – that City are now conceding goals that would have been unimaginable 12 months ago.

Two against Ajax in this stadium on
Tuesday leave City knowing even a defeat of the mighty Real Madrid will
probably not save their Champions League skins and midway through the
first half today came another calamity.

A straightforward free-kick delivered
from the touchline by Tom Huddlestone found Caulker, who had been given
too much room to make his run. The header should still have been
stopped. This time, goalkeeper Joe Hart, so often City's saviour, only
managed to shovel it in.

Mancini, seeming to make a conscious effort to curb his trigger-happy temperament, could only watch on in disbelief.

Level terms: Aguero slotted home the equaliser in the 65th minute

This might not have been so bad if
City had been awarded at least one of the two penalties they were
adamant should have come their way before the break.

William Gallas was the first
offender. And whilst he did block Aguero's flick at close quarters, his
arm was extended in a manner that, in the modern game, tends to result
in an infringement.

On the second occasion, Pablo
Zabaleta was bulldozed over by Huddlestone. That referee Michael Oliver
declined both merely intensified City ire against the official, with
Zabaleta and the returning David Silva among the more demonstrative home
players.

Back after five matches out with a hamstring strain, Silva had started brightly without finding a killer pass.

Howler: Hart allowed Caulker's header to slip through his grasp

For the visitors, Emmanuel Adebayor,
starting his first game of the season against his old club, was an
irritation more than anything, luring Zabaleta into a tackle he dived
over to get his one-time colleague a booking.

The introduction of Maicon for his
belated home debut offered an extra twist given it put him up against
Gareth Bale, who famously terrorised the Brazilian during his Inter
Milan days.

It also triggered a return to the much-derided three-man defence.

Yet Mancini's rejig worked.

Salvation: City were made to labour for their equaliser

On a day when little seemed to be
going right for the hosts, they profited from a couple of fortunate
bounces, allowing Yaya Toure to get on the end of Silva's pass, then
Aguero to collect possession inside the Spurs box.

Caulker got a quick lesson in how
swiftly the Argentinian can turn as he found himself heading in
completely the wrong direction as Aguero dispatched his precise shot
into the bottom corner.

From that moment on, there only seemed likely to be one winner.

With Aguero scheming, Andre Villas-Boas was forced into his own reshuffle.

Taking a tumble: Adebayor returned to his former club but failed to get on the scoresheet

Kompany plays down fears over City defence after champions concede again

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UPDATED:

08:00 GMT, 3 September 2012

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany insisted he was not concerned by his side's defensive frailties after Saturday's 3-1 win over QPR.

City goalkeeper Joe Hart kept 17 clean sheets last season, but Bobby Zamora's equaliser at the Etihad Stadium means he has still not recorded one this term.

Leveller: Bobby Zamora equalises for QPR but Manchester City went on to win

The Barclays Premier League champions have conceded seven goals so far this season – five in the league and two in the Community Shield final, but Kompany said: 'It doesn't matter. We've always proved to be solid come difficult times.

'Come December, January and February we'll show it. At this time everyone tries to play the game nicely.

'We left ourselves exposed but at the end of the season we won't do that.'

Zamora's goal on the hour cancelled out Yaya Toure's deserved opener, but City were back in front two minutes later through Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez sealed the win in injury time.

That took City fourth in the table and level on points with West Brom and Swansea in third and second respectively.

Not left out: Emmanuel Adebayor enjoyed a night out at the Rose Club in Mayfair

Along with Hart came his friend Andy
Carroll – the two had gone head-to-head earlier in the day with the
target man missing a late chance which would have won Liverpool the
match.

His header beat Hart
but was cleared off the line by Jack Rodwell. The young midfielder
recently signed from Everton, who had a few players out themselves.

Early
season star Marouane Fellaini, Tim Howard and Sylvain Distin were all
seen entering the club, which people queued for over two hours to get
into just for a chance to party with the Premier League stars.

David Moyes' team have enjoyed a flying start to the season with victories over Manchester United and Aston Villa.

Fellaini scored in both games, stunning Man City's local rivals with a bullet header before nodding home again on Saturday.

P.S.

Emmanuel Adebayor may have left Manchester City but he wasn't about to be left out of the fun.

He took advantage of his switch to London based Tottenham by making a night of it at Mayfair hotspot Rose Club.

Edin for the exit Champions City snub 15.6m Juve offer for striker Dzeko

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UPDATED:

09:17 GMT, 25 July 2012

Manchester City have reportedly knocked back a 15.6million bid from Juventus for Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko.

The Italian side moved for Dzeko as bids to sign Robin van Persie from Arsenal, or Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic, hang in the balance.

City will consider bids for the former Wolfsburg star – especially if they can beat Juventus to Van Persie’s signature – but would want to recoup more of the 27m they shelled out for him 18 months ago.

Lay back and think of Italy: Edin Dzeko is being targeted by Italian champions Juventus